Edward davies



(No Model.)

E. DAVIBS. APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING MAIL BAGS TO OR PROM TRAINS IN MOTION.

Oct. 23,1894.

INVENTO/i: 6%

BY Q/ -ted ATTORNEYS,

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD DAVIES, OF NEAR STOURBRIDGE, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING MAIL-BAGS TO OR FROM TRAINS IN MOTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 528,083, dated October 23 1894.

Application filed December 1, 1893. $erial No. 492.530. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, EDWARD DAVIES, farmer, of Whittington Hall Farm, near Stourbridge, in the county of WorcestenEngland,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Delivering or Transferring Mail-Bags or other Parcels from or to Trains in Motion, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to apparatus for trans- I ing motion of the train so as when finally,

landed on the train, or at the roadside, as the case may be, it will come gradually to a vir-' To accomplish this result tual state of rest. the parcel is controlled throughout its transit to or from the train so as to impart the desired direction and varying velocity of motion, the control being exerted both from the roadside and from the train conjointly. 'The means by which this control is efiected and the desired direction and varying velocity of motion are imparted, comprises two main members, the one attached to the mail car and the other attached to the roadside platform, acting conjointly on the parcel. These two members act as radius links and their relative arrangement is such that, during their conjoint action on the parcel, the pull of the one member is always approximately at right angles to that of the other. These members will hereinafter be distinguished as the delivering and receiving members respectively, irrespective of whether the delivery is effected to or from the train. Generally the parcel would be supported in its transit by sliding on a platform, means being in each case provided whereby the parcel is connected and disconnected at proper times with the said controlling devices. Theoretically the pull of the receiving member should commence at the instant when its connection with the parcel is effected, which takes place when the said member is at right angles to the direction of motion of the train, but in practice this condition cannot be fulfilled and hence the parcel is liable to be subjected to a sudden jerk which it is the object of one of the present improvements to avoid.

The object of another improvement is to provide means whereby the disconnection of the delivering member from the parcel after the transfer has been completed is edected automatically by the motion of the delivering member itself.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specifica tion, wherein l have represented the mail car in two positions which it successively occupies in traveling invthe direction of the arrow past a parcel receiving and delivering platform, both the operations of delivering and picking-up a parcel. by the mail car being illustrated in Figure 1. Fig. 2 is a plan view, on a larger scale, of the connections with the parcel by which the first pull is rendered gradual. Fig. 3 is a plan, Fig. 4 an elevation, and Fig. 5 an end view of the deviceby which the loop of the parcel to be picked up by the car is held distended and in position to be engaged by the hook of the receiving member on the car and also by which the hook of the receiving member on the platform is heldin position to engage the loop on the parcel to be delivered by the car.

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation, on line 1-1, and Fig. 7 is a section, on line 2-2, of the parcel platform and fence on the car, drawn to a larger scale.

I will describe the operations of pickingjup and delivering a parcel in the order in which they occur, and will therefore first describe the means employed in picking-up a parcel from the roadside platform, and as in each operation the same parts are shown twice, namely, in their initial and final positions, I will distinguish the final positions of the parts by the addition of a numeral to the reference letters. Thus A A is themail car and B B is the parcel to be picked up, in

their initial and final positions, and so on for the other parts.

The receiving member is composed of two parts and D whereof the part C is a rod or rope pivoted at one end to the floor of the car as near as possible to the front end and off side thereof, while its other end terminates in a hook o projecting from the side of the car in position to engage in the part D which is a loop of rope attached to the parcel B and held distended by a suitable appliance hereinafter described, in position to be caught by the hook c, the two parts 0 and D when thus connected acting as a radius link. The part 0 if a rigid rod is held yieldingly by a spring but if a rope be used its hook a may be held by a clip similar to that m hereinafter described for the hook r. In any case itis preferred that the part (J should be pivoted near the opposite side of the car to that at which the parcel enters, in order that the pull shall be in the direotion most favorable for bringing the parcel into the car. It is necessary before any pull can come on the parcel that the slack of the loop D be taken up and in order to effect this and so minimize the suddenness of the subsequent pull on the parcel, the loop D is not attached to the parcel in the direct line of pull but is so connected thereto that when the pull commences to take effect it acts indirectly on the parcel, in such manner that the latter is swung round upon itself under the control of the delivering member, the effect being that the parcel does not swing on its center of gravity but acquires a preliminary motion which is partially rotatory and partially one of translation, whereby its inertia is to some extent overcome before it receives the complete motion of translation which it acquires when the pull of the receiving member acts directly upon it.

The delivering member is constituted by a pair of ropes E, a hooked cross-piece H, a V- shaped sling F, and a connecting loop G. The ends of the sling F are permanently attached to the parcel, so that this sling and the attached loops D and G accompany the parcel in its flight. The one end of the sling is connected to the parcel near the rear end thereof,

and the other to the front end, the connecting loop G being at the apex of the sling, while the loop D is connected to the part f f x of the sling at an intermediate point in its length, situated at a short distance from the front end of the parcel. In the initial position of the sling the part ff of the sling is straight, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and as the loop D is attached at an intermediate point and the pull upon it is in a direction nearly at right angles to the part ff the first eifect of the pull after the slack of the loop D is taken up is to shorten the effective length of the part f f X of the sling, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, and so cause the parcel to be slued round. To permit of this sluing motion of the parcel and keep the slingF taut and ready to act, the parcel is held against a fence I, pivoted at i and acted on by a spring in such manner as to allow the fence to yield when the combined pull of the two radius links comes upon it. This fence is pivoted upon a base plate fixed on the roadside platform P.

The delivering member and its automatic disconnecting device are as follows: The part E of this member is composed of two ropes made fast to and working about diderent centers e e and connected at their other ends to the opposite ends of a cross bar H provided with a hook h with which engages the connecting loop G. The relative position of the centers of motion 66 issuch that at different points in the angular motion of the ropes E the position of the hook it varies with regard to the direction of the pull of the loop G, the initial position being such that the loop G is pulled into the hook it, the mouth of the hook it becoming so directed as the final position of the delivering member is approached, that the loop G slips out of it. This occurs when the ropes E are about at right angles to the railway, and the change of position of the hook is brought about by stops 76 on the platform against one of which the one rope E abuts when in its initial position, so that this rope is deflected from the straight line and its efiective length thus shortened, while when in the final position E thisrope is free from the stop and extended to its full length at the same time that the other rope abuts against the other stop and'its effective length is shortened.

The device by which the loop D is held distended so as to be caught by the hook 0, consists of a 3 -sl1aped frame L, shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, pivoted about a vertical axis Z on a supporting frame M fixed on the platform P near its edge, the ends of the arms of the distender L being notched for the loop D to lie in, the loop D passing completely around the distender, as shown. The distender stands normally at right angles to the railway in such a position that the hook 0 will pass between its arms and so catch the part of the loop D which lies across the arms of the distender. The distender is held in position by a spring applied against its heel end, the position of'the distender with regard to the parcel being such that the loop D is extended at right angles to the railway, as shown. The effect of this arrangement and of the two radius members acting conjointly on the parcel throughout its flight, and exerting a pull at about right angles to one another, is that the parcel is acted on gradually, both as regards the initiation, the change of direction, and the arrest of its actual or relative motion, as the case may be.

I will now describe the operation of delivering a parcel from the car and although the parts are similar in construction and operation to the foregoing I will, to avoid confusion, refer to them by different reference letters, the parts in their initial and final positions beingvindicated by the same letters with a distinguishing numeral.

N is the parcel to be delivered. The dewhile the receiving member is a rope R, ter- W against which the parcel rests.

minating in a hook r which is held in a clip m in position to engage with the loop attached to the parcel, the rope R being kept taut by a shoulder on the hook 1' abutting against a notch in the clip m. The other end of the rope R is made fast to a point on the platform about which the link works as a center, the rope in its initial position stand-- ing at right angles to the railway, as shown. The pair of ropes 0 work about two fixed points situated near the rear end and off side of the car, the relative efiective lengths of these ropes being varied at different points in their angular motion by stops which deflect them as previously described in respect of the ropes E on the platform, so that it is unnecessary to again describe them in detail. The hooked cross-bar S connected to these ropes and the sling Q are also similar in construction and operation to H and F before described, the only differences being that whereas in the present case the length of the ropes O is necessarily limited by the width of the car a longer loop T is used to connect the sling Q. to the hook s. The loop U is held distended by a forked distender V which is somewhat similar to the distender before described but is formed on the end of the fence This fence is pivoted at w and is acted on by a spring which tends to keep the'ropes 0, loop T, and sling Q, taut but yields when the pull of the rope R acting onthe sling Q through the loop U causes the parcel N to move round upon itself, the loop Ubeing attached to the slingQ in the same position as the loop D was attached in the first described arrange ment. In practice the samev loops are used both for picking-up and delivering, the loops being shifted accordingly, D and T being the same loop While G and U are also the same loop although lettered differently to distinguish their different functions. The parcel N rests upon a raised platformXupon which the fence W is pivoted the platform X being at a higher level than the roadside platform P which is in turn slightly higher than the floor ofthe car. Where the two operations of delivering and picking up are performed in close proximity, as here represented, the

hook r is held at a higher level than the distender L so as to pass clear over it, the relative positions of the various appliances be ing such that the parcel B is drawn from the platform P before the parcel N is delivered to the platform P.

It will be obvious that suitable apertures must be provided in the side of the mail car for the ingress and egress of the parcels and their connections, which apertures would be closed by vertically-sliding shutters, and in order to avoid danger to the attendants within the car the latter might have two floors, the

parcels being delivered from and received in the space between the floors to whichaccess would be had by trap doors in the upper floor on which the attendant stands.

The operation of the apparatus as awhole is as follows-it being supposed that the parcel, N, is to be thrown off or delivered from the mail-car, and the parcel, B, is to be picked up by or delivered to a mail-car, at the same wayside station: Assuming the mail-car to be in the positionindicatedbyletter, A,in Fig. l,and to be traveling in the direction of the arrow, the first operation is the picking up of the parcel, B. This is effected by the hook c ongaging the part of the loop D which is distended over the fork L whereupon loop D becomes detached from fork L and as soon as the slack of the loop D is taken up 0 and D act together as one member through which by the continued advance of the mail car a pull is transmitted to the parcel B. The first of as shown in Fig. 2 after which the parcel is dragged along by the car acting through D and E, any centrifugal tendency of the parcel in its flight being under the control of the delivering member E, the two ropes composing.

which swing through the arcs indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. The connection of the delivering'member with the parcel is maintained until said member E swings to a position about at right angles to the railway at which moment the hooked bar H connecting E to the loop G of sling F has assumed such a position relatively to the direction of the pull on it that the loop G slips off the hook. By this time the parcel will have been safely landed within the mail car. This action has just taken place by the time the mail car reaches the position A. The length of the sling F and loop G is sufficient to admit of the parcel being so landed and disconnected without the hook bar being permitted to approach so near to the car as to risk fouling IIO it. Meanwhile during the picking up of the I parcel B the throwing off or delivery from the car of the parcel N will have been in progress, that is to say, when the mail car has advanced so far that the book 4" of receiving member R engages the loop U whereupon by the continued motion of the mail car the slack of said loop is taken up the parcel is first slued round on itself and then swung outward by the pull of the link or member R under the control of the delivery member 0, until on the car reaching the position A the disconnection of loop T from hooked bar S takes place and the parcel is landed, as shown in Fig. 1, stationary on the platform, which will then be quite clearto receive it, the parcel B having by that time been picked up as above described.

I claim-- 1. In apparatus for transferring parcels to and from a train in motion, the combination with the parcel, with the mail car and with a roadside platform, of two main members adapted to act conjointly as radius links in directions at about right angles to each other, the said links being respectively attached to centers fixed respectively on the car and on the roadside platform, and of means of automatically making and severing connection of the said links with the parcel, the said links and connections being arranged to operate substantially as specified.

2. In an apparatus for efiecting the transfer of a parcel to or from a train in motion, consisting of two main members acting conjointly as radius links attached to centers on the car and roadside platform respectively, and means of automatically disconnecting the delivery link from the parcel, said means consisting of a hook adapted to be engaged with the parcel, said hook being formed on a cross bar attached at its opposite ends to two flexible connections constituting the delivery link, said connections being attached to difierent centers so as by their conjoint action on the hook to vary its position with regard to the line of strain, as specified.

3. In an apparatus for eifecting the transfer of a parcel to or from a train in motion, consisting of two main members acting conjointly as radius links attached to centers on' the car and roadside platform respectively, the combination with the delivery member or link, and its means of automatic disconnection from the parcel sling. of a pivoted spring fence for holding the delivering member taut and in readiness to act, substantially as described.

EDWARD DAVIES.

In presence of HENRY RICHARD JOHN DENTON, St. Mark SL, Wolverhampton, Iron-Founder, 62c. ALFRED DUDLEY, 85 olgmlm Road, Blakenhall, Wolverhampton, 

